By Jessica Carroll For You Magazine

Published: 07:20 EDT, 17 July 2022 | Updated: 07:20 EDT, 17 July 2022

This week, Jessica Carroll asks the question: How sustainable are Lululemon trainers

This week, Jessica Carroll asks the question: How sustainable are Lululemon trainers. These trainers by Canadian sports brand Lululemon are a mix of nylon, polyester and Lycra

These trainers by Canadian sports brand Lululemon are a mix of nylon, polyester and Lycra – all plastic-based materials. It’s tricky to make functional trainers with more sustainable fabrics, but other sports brands have proved it’s possible. For example, the Adidas collaboration with planet-friendly brand Allbirds uses eucalyptus tree fibre and a high-performance recycled polyester. 

These arrived in a recyclable Forest Stewardship Councilcertified cardboard shoebox inside a plastic-based polybag. 

For transparency, Lululemon lists its factories on the Open Apparel Registry. All suppliers also sign a Vendor Code of Ethics, agreeing to zero-tolerance criteria, such as no forced labour or unapproved subcontractors. On-site assessments are carried out every 18 months.

They’re made in China and from plastic, so CO2 emissions from transport and manufacture are huge. The Centre for International Environmental Law predicts that greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could reach 56 gigatons by 2050 – a massive 12 per cent of the remaining CO2 that can be emitted to ensure global warming doesn’t rise more than 1.5 degrees celsius. 

At this year’s Global Fashion Summit, nonprofit group Apparel Impact Institute announced a Fashion Climate Fund, of which Lululemon is a leading partner. Its aim is to reduce the industry’s carbon emissions by at least 45 per cent over the next eight years. 

Lululemon is one of the world’s biggest sportswear labels, but it doesn’t make many sustainable products. The company made more than £5 billion in 2021, so cost shouldn’t be a factor. However, joining the Fashion Climate Fund is a step in the right direction. 

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